Halloween Revelations
by VanInBlack
Summary: A Halloween party at Hotch's is the perfect place to reveal some long-kept secrets.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Here's my contribution to the Masquerade Challenge. My chosen pairing is JJ/Rossi and the costume I got assigned is angel. Hope you enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Same as always...**_

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><p><strong>Halloween Revelations<strong>

**1**

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><p>JJ smoothed her dress and took one last deep breath before she raised her hand to knock on Aaron Hotchner's door. She knew the moment that she'd finally have to tell her team the truth had come, thanks to little Jack Hotchner's idea of a Halloween party. JJ had briefly considered to claim a last minute illness or something along those lines to avoid attending, but then she didn't have the heart to say no Hotchner junior. She felt bad enough that she couldn't bring Henry even though Jack had specifically asked her to do so.<p>

The boy was so excited about having all of his aunts and uncles from the BAU over for a party – an idea he had no doubt cooked up with one certain technical analyst – that none of them was able turn down the invitation. They even agreed to let young Hotchner choose their costumes, and all had to admit that he had them completely wrapped around his little finger.

When he proudly handed them his self-made invitation cards and told them they'd find their required costumes inside, they all were a tiny bit afraid to open their envelope. But judging from the obvious relief on everyone's faces, none of the costumes Jack came up with were too over the top.

Only moments after JJ had knocked the door opened and she found herself face to face with Indiana Jones, aka Aaron Hotchner.

"Hey, JJ. Come in," he greeted her. " Everyone's already waiting for you."

"Sorry, I know I'm late."

"Don't worry about it. Where are Henry and Will?" Hotch wanted to know.

"Ah, well..." JJ started and looked at him hesitantly. "I'd rather only explain it once if you don't mind."

Hotch understood. "Sure."

He stopped her before walking to the living room with her.

"'Hey, if you're not in the mood for a party, it's okay. Jack will understand," he told her gently.

"I'm good, Hotch. Besides, Jack was so excited I couldn't say no. He'll be disappointed enough that I couldn't bring Henry."

"Why didn't you say something sooner that you and Will had problems?"

"Remind me again how long it took for you to tell us about you and Haley separating?" JJ gave back.

"Touché," Hotch smiled. "Come on, let's go to the others."

They entered the Hotchner family room which was fully decorated with various kinds of Halloween items. Garcia had no doubt spent the whole afternoon with the two Hotchners, because there was no way they had come up with all of that by themselves.

"Aunt JJ!" Jack exclaimed the moment JJ appeared in the door-frame. He ran over from where he was standing with Reid and gave her a big hug.

"Wow, you really are an angel!" He said in awe and smiled widely at her, obviously pleased with himself that he had chosen the right costume for her.

JJ glanced around in the room to take a look at the costumes Jack had selected for the others. There was Reid as Willy Wonka, Morgan as the Incredible Hulk, Prentiss as Supergirl and Garcia as Mary Poppins.

And then her gaze dropped to Rossi, dressed up as the most handsome Phantom of the Opera she'd ever seen. Her knees weakened and she was sure her heart skipped a beat, when he turned fully toward her and gave her his most charming smile. If Jack hadn't caught her attention again, she would certainly have started to drool right there in front of him.

"Aunt JJ, where is Henry?" the little boy wanted to know and JJ noticed the questioning looks in the others' faces, demanding to know the very same thing.

She knelt down to Jack's level.

"Well, you know, sweetheart, Henry and his dad are down in New Orleans to visit Henry's grandmother. And they're celebrating Halloween there."

Jack looked a bit disappointed, but his face lit up again when JJ promised him she'd bring Henry over for a play date some other time.

As soon as Jack announced that the party had now officially begun, and ran out to get the cookies from the kitchen, JJ was surrounded by her friends and co-workers.

"Gumdrop, when exactly did you plan on telling us that you and your southern beau have split?" Garcia pouted. "How long has this been going on?"

The others nodded in agreement, waiting for an answer.

"Ah, about three months, give or take," JJ replied sheepishly. "Look, I didn't want to say anything at first, because I thought that maybe we were just going through a tough phase and needed a break for a while."

"Oh buttercup, why didn't you? We all would have been there for you," Garcia went on.

"I know, Garcia, and I really appreciate it."

"Was it because of your job?" Emily asked, remembering one brief conversation with JJ after her return to the BAU.

"Yeah, this and some other things," JJ answered, avoiding to name the specific reasons for their split. She hoped they'd let it go for now, since she didn't really have any desire to go through all the things Will had said and done to her again.

Thankfully, Jack came back with the cookies.

"This conversation is not finished," Emily whispered to her quickly before they all turned their attention back to Jack.

JJ caught Rossi's gaze and he made it clear that he was thinking the same, and she realized that while she may be able to avoid Emily's and Garcia's nagging questions for a while, she would not be so lucky with him. She just hoped he'd give her the evening to prepare for it.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews! **_

_**This has gotten longer than I originally planned, so I decided to split this chapter in two. **_

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><p><strong>Halloween Revelations <strong>

**2**

The party turned out to be a huge success, a lot of fun for all of them and a very welcome distraction for JJ. Jack made them all got trick and treating with him and afterwards they played various games he and Penelope had prepared.

Later that night they all gathered around the TV to watch a Disney Halloween movie Jack had selected. JJ found herself sitting close to Rossi on the couch. He had his arm stretched out behind her on the backrest, and even though he didn't touch her, his presence felt oddly comfortable.

She'd felt his gaze on her all evening, in a mixture of looking out for her, trying to make sure she was all right, and open, unadulterated interest, and she began to think that this was something she herself wanted to take a closer look at.

There was a little sting of guilty conscience inside her at these thoughts until she realized that she had nothing to feel guilty about. Will was gone and she was a young and attractive and most importantly single woman. It was only natural that she felt herself attracted to other men again. This specific man, no less.

Still, part of her guilty conscience was also due to the fact that she had already felt a certain attraction to the older profiler next to her while she'd been with Will. And she had always been aware of the fact that David Rossi would capture her in a heartbeat if she only let him.

And now she had no reason anymore to deny him, to deny them both what they'd felt for so long. She had to admit, though, as much as she liked these thoughts, they also felt quite overwhelming at the moment. Too overwhelming to think about in a room full of profilers.

Quickly getting up, she excused herself and went over to the bathroom. Everybody's attention seemed to be fixed on the TV, but she could feel Rossi's eyes following her until she disappeared inside.

She briefly wondered if she could just disappear unnoticed, but then threw the idea away again, knowing that Garcia and Emily would certainly grill her about it.

Maybe some fresh air would be good.

Quietly, as to not alert anyone, she stepped out the front door and onto the porch. It didn't take long and she heard the door open again. She didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Rossi.

"Everything okay, JJ?" He asked, coming to stand next to her.

"Sure," she replied, calmer than she felt inside.

He let out a snort that sounded vaguely like he knew she was just kidding him.

Standing in silence for a few minutes, JJ knew he was waiting for her to start explaining things to him. She just didn't know where to start.

"What do you want to know, Rossi?" She asked him eventually. "That's why you're out here, isn't it?"

"I want some answers," he replied quietly. "And you're the only one who can give them to me right now."

"Will and I broke up. We're sharing custody of Henry. End of story," JJ said shortly, knowing fully well that the mere facts weren't what Rossi was interested in.

"Well, I get that, JJ. What I want to know in addition to that, is, why?"

"I don't see where this is any of your business," JJ told him, her tone more aggressively than she had intended to.

She knew she was being defensive, but she couldn't help it. The truth behind her and Will's separation would anger and frustrate him. But that wasn't the only thing why she hesitated telling him everything. More importantly for her was that she didn't want to appear weak and helpless to him. She didn't want Rossi to know what Will had said and done to her, afraid that he would think of her as a damsel in distress, or worse, that it would make him turn away from her.

She had dealt with Will alone, and she was damn proud of herself, of how she'd handled things in the end. The last thing she needed was Rossi making her feel bad about it.

"You're right," he said. "Technically it's none of my business. But quite frankly, as your friend – and up until a few hours ago I thought that's what we were – it's my job to make it my damn business."

He spoke quietly, but the disappointment in his tone could not be missed. JJ's heart began to pound in her chest. She didn't want to disappoint him, nor did she want to lose his friendship, but she realized that she was far from over what Will had done to her. And talking about that was incredibly hard for her. Not that she had done it before.

Feeling him take her hand in his, silently encouraging her to open up to him, her resistance began to fade away. It took her a few more minutes to sort her thoughts and gather herself, but when she softly began to talk about everything, it all seemed to just pour out of her.

Dave listened quietly, and the hardening expression on his face spoke volumes about what he was thinking and how he felt.

"He called you what?" He burst out at some point.

"A whore. And that was one of the nicer descriptions he had for me. According to him, I was a bad mother, a lousy girlfriend, who put her job before her family and who was sleeping her way up the job ladder. That was his explanation for the long hours we worked. Oh, and did I mention that he was convinced that I had an affair with Hotch?" She said bitterly.

"Why didn't you break up with him sooner?"

"Honestly? I really thought that for Henry's sake we would be able to work things out eventually."

"But that didn't happen."

JJ shook her head.

"No. Things got slightly better when I got transferred to the DoD, but that didn't last long. My work hours were more reasonable than with the BAU, but I just never felt comfortable in the job. I missed the BAU, I missed the team, and I couldn't hide it. When you offered me to come back to the BAU, I knew I had to take it."

She paused for a moment.

"Of course, from then on it wasn't Hotch anymore who I had an affair with, but you," she added sarcastically. She didn't tell him that more often than not she wished that would have been true. At least it would have provided her with some kind of solace, if only just for a few hours a week.

"You want to know when I ended things with him once and for all? Turns out he was the one who was having an affair. And not just since my return to the BAU, but pretty much ever since he'd left New Orleans."

Dave wordlessly gathered her in his arms and held her in a tight embrace.

"You know I can't just let him get away with all that, don't you?" Dave mentioned conversationally.

"Rossi-" JJ started, but didn't get very far.

"No, don't answer that. That was a rhetorical question. He won't get away with this. That's a promise."

He didn't give her time to protest, but pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead and went on.

"We don't have to discuss this now. I just want to make it clear that I will not rest until that bastard paid for what he did to you. How come you still allow him to see Henry? Someone like him shouldn't be allowed near your son!"

"Because he loves Henry. Despite what he did to me, he's never harmed his son. He's a good father to him. It wouldn't be fair to Henry to take that away from him. I'm not too happy with it either, but so far, Will hasn't given me any reason for complaint. It took a while, but we have finally worked out a custody agreement we can both live with. I really don't want to fight the same battle again."

"I understand that, JJ. I really do. But I swear to god, the moment he even thinks of hurting Henry, he's a dead man," Dave vowed.

JJ smiled. Having someone to look out for oneself didn't hurt as much as she thought it would.

And all her earlier doubts about what he would think of her if he knew the truth suddenly disappeared. Right now, she just felt comfortable in his arms, and she wondered, why she didn't seek him out earlier.

"Why don't we go back inside? It's getting a little too cool to be standing outside without a coat for much longer," Dave suggested after a while.

"Actually, I like it here," JJ replied, remembering why she had come out here in the first place. Dave's sudden closeness was still a bit too much for her to grasp entirely. She just needed a few more minutes to herself to make sense of everything that had happened in the last twenty minutes. She had told him things she certainly would not have told Penelope and Emily, best friends or not.

What was that saying about how she saw him? And to carry the thought a bit further: after Will, would she be able to get involved with him?

She wanted to, her heart was telling her that. But her mind kept bringing up the doubts.

"Would you give me a few minutes for myself?" She asked him softly when he tried to coax her inside again.

"You're gonna catch a cold, JJ," he replied, trying to argue with her.

"I'm just gonna stay a few more minutes," JJ assured him.

He eyed her for a second, but then gave in.

"Okay, but if you're not back inside in five minute I'll come and get you. And won't ask you anymore, I'll just throw you over my shoulder and carry you inside," he grinned.

JJ smiled back. The look he gave her filled her with so much warmth that she doubted she'd get cold anytime soon.

"Dave," she called after him, before he opened the door.

He turned back to her and she felt her heart flutter even more in her chest at how deliciously handsome he still looked. Parts of his costume had come off over the course of the evening, they all had gotten rid of some items that were in the way during their games, but that didn't change the fact that his costume was still the biggest hit with her this evening.

"Yes, Jen," he answered, and it was when she heard him call her 'Jen' that she realized she had unconsciously addressed him by his first name as well.

"Thanks," she said simply. "For listening."

"You're welcome, Angel." His smile made her flush even more.

"Don't make it too long," he reminded her gently and then disappeared inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Halloween Revelations**

**3**

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><p>When Dave had disappeared behind the front door, JJ took a deep breath and leaned against the balustrade. A small smile graced her lips as she was thinking about the older man. She wouldn't have thought so just a few hours ago, but suddenly her future didn't seem so unpleasant anymore.<p>

Following him back inside after a few minutes of enjoying the solitude on the porch, she resumed her seat next to him on the couch, aware that everyone was watching her when she came back.

Seeing Garcia gesturing to her that they were going to have a long and detailed talk as soon as possible, she simply smiled at her and nodded.

Suddenly, she didn't care anymore that the curious eyes of her teammates and Jack rested on her. Scooting closer to Dave, she leaned against him and laid her heard on his shoulder. If he was surprised by her unexpected move, he didn't let it show, but very smoothly put his arm around her and pulled her against him.

When the end of the film came, JJ had slipped onto his lap, her head propped on his chest as he held her in a tight embrace.

"You missed the best part of the movie!" Jack scolded them. "What were you doing out there for so long?"

"We were just getting some air, sweetie," JJ replied gently.

Jack wasn't content with this answer. Shaking his head, he said, " I know what you were doing, you were kissin'!"

"Jack!" Hotch immediately intervened, saving Dave and JJ from more embarrassment. "How 'bout you get ready for bed now and leave Aunt JJ and Uncle Dave alone!"

Jack pouted for a moment, but obeyed his father and rushed away to his room.

Penelope and Emily snickered and exchanged a knowing look.

"I know what you're thinking," JJ told them, having seen their exchange, "but that's not what happened."

Seeing their less than convinced expressions, she added, "We were just talking."

"That's right," Dave came to her help. "And I'd be glad if you would just go and mind your own business."

"All right, all right," Penelope conceded, "But I'm still getting my talk, gumdrop. You and me-"

"And me!" Emily threw in.

"Tomorrow night, my place."

"Fine," JJ relented. "But after that you'll leave me alone."

They called it a night shortly after, but not before Dave and JJ had assured Jack that they would be back and watch the movie again with him, from start to finish. JJ even promised to bring Henry along next time.

"Thank you for wearing all the nice costumes!" Jack called after them as they all went down to their cars.

"It was our pleasure, Junior G-man," Garcia called back, waving goodbye. "Thank you for picking them!"

"Good night!"

When she turned to JJ, she saw her in deep conversation with Dave, so she just bide her a quick goodbye and got into her car, as well as the others.

"You okay to drive home?" Dave asked JJ as one after the other drove away.

JJ couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Of course I am," she replied.

"I was just thinking," Dave said gently. "You look tired."

"I am, but not so much that I won't find my way back home."

Seeing that he was genuinely worried, she quickly added with a smile, "I appreciate you asking, Dave, but I'll be fine."

"May I take you out to dinner then? Tomorrow?"

"You heard Garcia. She and Emily are going to squeeze me out like a lemon tomorrow night," JJ answered with a sigh.

She normally enjoyed their girls nights, but she certainly wasn't looking forward to this one.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Wednesday then? Provided we don't get called out on a new case?" He wanted to know.

JJ smiled brightly and nodded.

"Wednesday," she confirmed.

Dave leaned in and stole a quick, tender kiss from her lips. Her smile grew even wider and she felt herself looking forward to their date more than she had been looking forward to anything in a very long time.

"Drive safely," Dave said, opening the door for her.

"You, too," she replied, giving him another peck on the cheek before getting into her car.

He stood and watched until her car had disappeared in the night before he made his way home himself.

Today had brought some interesting revelations for both JJ and Dave, laying the foundation for whatever the future might hold for them. They were both looking forward to finding out where the road would lead them.

Right now, the only thing that seemed certain was that they'd traveled this road together.

Everything else would be revealed with time.

_~ Fin ~_


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